Mountain Town(2006)

The Hunters(en)

An ethnographic documentary following four Ju/’hoansi (!Kung) men during a multi-day giraffe hunt in the Kalahari Desert, filmed during the Smithsonian–Harvard Peabody expedition of 1952–53.

Congo(en)

An experimental ethnographic documentary that criticizes the colonizer view of anthropology.

Naked Spaces: Living Is Round(en)

Shot with stunning elegance and clarity, NAKED SPACES explores the rhythm and ritual of life in the rural environments of six West African countries (Mauritania, Mali, Burkino Faso, Togo, Benin and Senegal). The nonlinear structure of NAKED SPACES challenges the traditions of ethnographic filmmaking, while sensuous sights and sounds lead the viewer on a poetic journey to the most inaccessible parts of the African continent: the private interaction of people in their living spaces.

Choqela: Only Interpretation(en)

This provocative and profound film documents the Choqela ceremony, an agricultural ritual and song of the Aymara Indians of Peru. By offering several different translations of the proceedings, the film acknowledges the problems of interpretation as an inherent dilemma of anthropology.

Kwaheri(en)

Early Mondo film featuring primitive rituals, animals being butchered, unusual birth defects, and a legit trepanation scene.

Behind the Shadows(el)

The Greek shadow puppetry began 130 years ago. A student of Greek shadow puppetry travels to China, where shadow puppetry began over 2000 years ago. There he follows Chinese shadow puppeteer master He Shihong in Wushan of China. Watching his performances and listening to him talk about his art and his career in it, many parallels are drawn and he expresses them by including his Greek shadow puppetry teacher in the film. This documentary is a cultural bridge between Greece and China through the art of shadow puppetry.

Lotoko(fr)

Short ethnographic documentary showing a leopard dance based upon footage shot by director Luc de Heusch in Congo in 1954 reassembled by Damien Mottier (Université Paris Nanterre) and Grace Winter (CINEMATEK).

Nkumi, everyday life(fr)

Short ethnographic documentary showing some everyday life scenes based upon footage shot by director Luc de Heusch in Congo in 1954 reassembled by Damien Mottier (Université Paris Nanterre) and Grace Winter (CINEMATEK).

There Comes a Time(en)

There Comes a Time in every skiers life where they must decide whether to get up and hit the slopes or go lay back down in bed all day like a bum. Well it’s a good thing incredible skiers like Pat Carnick, Karen Huntoon, Tish Green, Bob Burns, Mark Stigmeyer, Dick Dorwith, Scott Miller, Lee Lucas, Gary Holdberg, Pat Bowman, Katie Morning, Wayne Wong, and others decided to hit the slopes so now you can see what it’s like to ski like a pro. Filmed at some of the most historic and oldest ski resorts in the world including Squaw Valley, Vail, Marmot Basin, Mammoth Mountain, Kirkwood Meadows, and the French Alps, Warren Miller’s There Comes a Time reminds us to get out of bed and go skiing.

In Pursuit of Soul(en)

Last winter, it wasn’t hard finding the soul across twelve small, independent resorts in North America. These mountains had more rich character and stories to tell than we could've ever imagined possible. Finally, we are here to share that with you. Produced in partnership with Indy Pass, Filson, and Entabeni Systems, In Pursuit of Soul brings you to Wyoming's Snow King, Maine's Saddleback and Black Mountain, Washington's Mission Ridge and 49° North Mountain Resort, Vermont's Magic Mountain and Bolton Valley, Idaho's Lost Trail and Brundage Mountain, New Hampshire's Cannon Mountain, Massachusetts' Berkshire East Mountain Resort, and Utah's Beaver Mountain.

Snow Guardians(en)

A beautifully filmed documentary about the life and work of Ski Patrol at several Montana Ski Resorts and the Search and Rescue teams that respond to winter emergencies in the backcountry.

Himalayan Pilgrimage(en)

A 16-minute short shot with a totally subjective eye; conveys the mythic life sense and social elements of a people who live in the world's highest mountains.

Carving Thy Faith(tl)

A five-year visual ethnography of traditional yet practical orchestration of Semana Santa in a small town where religious woodcarving is the livelihood. An experiential film on neocolonial Philippines’ interpretation of Saints and Gods through many forms of rituals and iconographies, exposing wood as raw material that undergoes production processes before becoming a spiritual object of devotion. - A sculpture believed to have been imported in town during Spanish colonial conquest, locally known as Mahal na Señor Sepulcro, is celebrating its 500 years. Meanwhile, composed of non-actors, Senakulo re-enacts the sufferings and death of Jesus. As the local community yearly unites to commemorate the Passion of Christ, a laborious journey unfolds following local craftsmen in transforming blocks of wood into a larger than life Jesus crucified on a 12-ft cross.

L'île de Pâques(fr)

The first Easter Island documentary, filmed in 1935 when the Belgian naval ship Mercator came to collect Drs. Henri Lavacherry and Alfred Métraux, who had arrived six months before to carry out archaeological and ethnological work. The film, directed with melodramatic gusto and featuring a full orchestral score by Maurice Jaubert (who also did the narration), shows islanders, the monuments, and a public dance. A theme of decay and decadence characterizes the film, the motif portrayed gruesomely by extensive close-ups of the inhabitants of the leper colony there at the time. The film suited a romantic image of a mysterious lost civilization, the survivors eking out a pitiful existence on a barren rock. (Grant McCall)

Ghostland: The View of the Ju'Hoansi(de)

Remember the culture clash in THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY? This time it's real. One of the most ancient cultures on our planet is undergoing a major change. The Ju/Hoansi Bushmen in Namibia are not allowed to hunt anymore and need to converge with our so called “civilized” lifestyle. For the first time the Ju/Hoansi Bushmen travel through the Kalahari and then right into the heart of Europe. What starts as a look at their fascinating culture becomes an even more fascinating look at our Western lifestyle. A warm and humorous reflection of our habits through the eyes of people who are about to give up their million year old traditions.

Danse d'hommes(en)

African men dance, sing and play instruments.

Barrage du Nil(fr)

Travellers, nomads and salesmen make their way along a dam next to the Nile.

Japonaise faisant sa toilette(fr)

A young woman in traditional Japanese attire fixes her hair and kimono while her servants assist her.

A Wife Among Wives(en)

David and Judith MacDougall are exploring the marriage rituals and roles of Turkana women in this ethnographic documentary. The film's biggest part is taken up by talks between the Turkana people. As one of the first ethnographic documentaries "A Wife Among Wives" subtitles these talks so that the viewer can get a better and probably more personal understanding of the life of the Turkana.

Divoké kmeny Etiopie(cs)